Geobge d



Patented Oct. 27, 1885.

G. D. SUTTON.

STREET CURE AND GUTTER.

(No Model.)

PATENT trice.

GEORGE D. SUTTON, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

STREET CURB AND GUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 329,344, dated October 27,1885.

Serial No. 175,669. (No model.)

T 0 @ZZ whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. SUTTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street Curbs and Gutters, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to curbs and gutters designed for the streets of cities and towns.

The object of the invention is to so construct the curbs and glitters that they may be advantageously utilized as conduits for electric wires and cables, and as conduits for pipes for conveying compressed air or other motive power. By this invention I furnish a practicable method of laying the electric wires and cables beneath the surface of the ground without materially interfering with the paving of the carriageways or sidewalks, and when put into use my system will require but slight cost for maintaining it, and, besides, it will furnish ready means of access to the wire and cable systems whenever occasion may arise for repairs to the same, or for any enlargement thereof.

rIhe features of novelty for which I desire protection in this instance are pointed out in the claims at the end of this description.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which like features are indicated by like letters, Figure l is a cross-section of one side of a street including the gutter, curb, and sidewalk, showing the application of my invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the gutter and curb, showing a modification in the shape of those features. Fig. 3 is a similar section of the same parts with all the walls perpendicular. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the cover of the curb or gutter. Fig. is a similar view of the bottom of the curb or gutter, and Fig. 6 is a side view of the outer wall of the curb or gutter.

In the drawings, l indicates' the carriageway of a street, and 2 the sidewalk. A is the hollow curb, and B the hollow gutter. These structures are entirely independent of each other, as shown, so that 'it is practicable to use either separately, if that plan should seem desirable. The curb A is hollow, and is designed to be of regulation size, and is preferably of cast-iron, though any other metal or substance adapted for the purpose may be employed instead of cast-iron. This curb may be twenty inches deep, (more or less,) according to the requirements of the service for which it is intended, and of a width at topsay from tive to eight inches, more or lesssufficient to cover the surface now usually occupied by the solid stone curbs. rIhese dimensions will of course be subject to city and town regulations, and do not enter into the merits of my invention. The curb A will occupy the same relation to the carriage-way and sidewalk that the solid stone curbs now occupy, extending somewhat above the surface of the carriage-way, but being substantially on a level with the sidewalk.

In Figs. 1 and 3 the curb A is shown with both of its sides perpendicular, and in Fig. 2 the inner wall is perpendicular, while the outer wall is inclined from the top to the bottom. The inclined Wall of Fig. 2 gives greater interior space to the curb without lessening its strength, and where the curb is used independently of the hollow gutter the inclined wall furnishes a certain amount of support for the gutter-stones, and is a safeguard against the wheels of vehicles coming in violent contact with the top of the curb or with its cover. The inside of curb A may be lined with cement, or with any other suitable non-conducting substance, a. 'Ihis lining may be about threeeighths of an inch thick, and its object is to avoid any possibility of the metal composing the hollow curb detrimentally affecting the electric wires or cables which may be located within the same. The wires and cables will of course be properly insulated, and may be provided with an armor of lead or other suitable material. W'hen thus protected, there is little if any liability of trouble arising from induction; but the non-conductor lining serves as an additional safeguard in this respect. This lining is not essential to this plan of accommodating the wires beneath the surface of the streets or roadways, and may be dispensed with in practice. -The curb A is provided Between the IOO top C and upper edges of the curb A may be employed a gasket, b, of rubber or any other suitable material, for the purpose of making a perfectly-tight joint between cover and curb'. The curb may be provided with any desirable plan of supporting-brackets h for sustaining the wires and cables and separating groups oi' wires or cables from'one another. The top of the curb (shown detached in Fig. 4) will, by preference, be made with solid corrugated sections c and corrugated removable center lid, c2. By this construction, to which I do not confine myself, however, as the top may be in solid sections, openings are provided for access to the hollow curb without the necessity of lifting the entire weight of the top C. `'It is of course understood that the curbA is to be made in sections of suitable length, which sections are to be connected together by any practicable joint which will provide water and moisture tight connections. The bottom c3 of each section of the curbing will, by preference, be made in the manner shown in Fig. 5, which represents a ground plan View of the bottom of one section of the curb. It will be noticed that this bottom is made with alternate solid and open sections, the letter c4 indicating the solid sections. By this construction a saving in material is effected and the curb-section rendered lighter than it would be if provided with an entirely solid bottom.

The letter B indicates a hollow gutter, which is designed to occupy the same relation to the carriageway which the ordinary gutter occupies. It may be made with both its inner and outer walls perpendicular, as shown in Fig. 3, or with both of said walls inclined outwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, or with only its outer wall inclined, as shown in Fig. l. M

When the gutter B'is used in connection with the curb A, its inner wall is best made to conform to the inclination of the outer wall of the curbing but when the gutter is used alone without the curb A, the preferredform will be that shown in Fig. 1 with the inner wall perpendicular and the outer wall inclined exception that the cover of the gutter will be made smooth on its exposed or outer surface. To illustrate this feature of the case, Figs. 4 and 5 may be deemed to show the top and bottom, respectively, of the gutter as well as the curb.

b represents the gasket between the top C and glitter B.

As already stated, the gutter may be used either with or independently of the curb.

' When the gutter is used without the curb A,

the sidewalk maybe constructed .to extend out to the gutter; or an ordinary stone curb may be interposed between the sidewalk and gutter. When the gutter B and curb A are used conjointly, they may be connected by the headed bolts c, provided with nuts, which may be secured against displacement by any of the commonly-employed nut-locks. To accommodate the bolts c, the inner wall of the gutter is perforated and the outer wall of the curb is provided with elongated slits or openings e. By this means the gutter' can be adjusted vertically to bring it to the proper position'with reference to the grade of the carriage-way. VIt may be found necessary in order to properly secure the cover of the gutter against displacement to make use of countersunk screws or other fastening means.

In crossing intersecting streets the gutter-V conduit B will be extended across the roadway in an obvious manner, the cover of the section or sections of that portion of the conduit being on a level with the surface of the paving of the carriage-way, and being providedwith corrugations on its exposed surface, as is usual with casting occupying such positions. The gutter B may be fourteen inches (more or less) in depth and from eight to twelve inches wide, (more or less.) The space between the gutter and curb may be packed with any suitable water-proof substance, as indicated at c.

I propose, in utilizing this gutter and curb, to provide a bed of pebbles of several feet thickness for the structures to rest upon, thereby furnishing suitable drainage for such water as may find its way withinthe conduits.

One advantage of making the gutter and curb of independent receptacles is that those wires or cables that are employed for Very lOO delicate service-as in telephonie or electriclight 'systems-may be consolidated in one receptacle, while the telegraphic and other wires and cables are located in the other inde-v tion often maderto a common conduit for the various electric-wire systems. Another advantage of this plan of independent receptacles when the arrangement shown by me is employed is that the lgutter can be readily adjusted to suit the grade of the carriageway, which could not be done if the receptables were permanently joined together.

The receptacles A and B may be provided with suitable perforations in their back walls for the purpose of making connections with the wires or pipes within they said structures and the buildings into which the electric current of compressed air or other power is to. be carried for use. y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The hollow gutter B, combined with the hollow curb A, both receptacles being independently constructed, and connected to each other, so that the gutter may be adjusted vernation with the hollow gutter B, having boltholes iu its inner wall, and the bolts e, substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New I5 York and State of New York, this 28th day of August, A. D. 1885.

GEO. D. SUTTON.

Witnesses:

JOHN BOYD, J. E. M. BOWEN. 

